Rain, Rain, Go Away
by Invader Juna
Summary: An inaccurate weather prediction causes Zim to plot against nature by trying to control the weather itself! Will Dib be able to stop him or will this mean doom for the planet? My first story. Please Read and Review. You might like it!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes:**

** Hello and welcome to my first ever public fan fiction! As a long-time Invader Zim fan, I hope I can provide you with a decent story. This tale will contain bits of silliness, a bit of nightmare fuel and a bit of friendship. No swearing or romance or character time skip. It will feature some minor original characters, if you don't mind. Don't worry, I won't pay too much attention to them. This is the story of what happens when Zim and nature don't quite get along. Please feel free to tell me what you think.**

**Disclaimer: **

** Invader Zim and associated characters are owned by Jhonen Vasquez. This is fan fiction.**

–

The strange green house sat in middle of the cul-de-sac one dry, clear morning. Zim was in his underground area preparing his disguise for the day. He would be attending skool today, as he often did, in order to keep up his appearance as a normal human earth boy. Blue contacts were glued to his eyes and a black cow-lick wig was propped onto his head. He stored some light gear into his Pak before it attached itself to his back. He stepped on a circular platform which shot up into the ground floor of his base. He popped out of a trash can and headed out to the main room to meet with Gir, who was on the floor inches away from the television screen.

Gir's head turned to Zim and smiled, "So, what are you gonna do today, Master?

"The same thing I do every day, Gir..." he raised his fist above his gigantic head "TRY TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD" to which Gir gave a blank look. "So, what are today's conditions?" Zim turned a nob to switch to a news channel.

_"-and that's why you shouldn't smother cats in peanut butter"_ and reporter woman said cheerfully.

_"Ahaha. Thanks, Tina. Later, we have an exclusive interview with Professor Membrane about the wonders of chemically-enhanced food products. But first, the weather!"_ A Video introduction came up with a voice-over. _-And now, meteorologist Sonny Skye with your weather forecast.-_

"These humans and their _meat_..." Zim said with a tone of disgust. A man in a suit and tie appeared with a wide smile and obnoxiously large hair in front of a colorful map.

_"Hey, there folks. Looks like we're going to have clear skies all throughout the day today, so enjoy it while it lasts. Temperatures will be-"_

"Excellent. I have a good feeling about today, Gir." Zim said, pleased as he headed to the front door. "I'm off to skool, Gir. Don't break anything while I'm gone"

"Piggy wants to come, too" Gir appeared behind Zim holding up a squeaky rubber pig toy. Zim glanced back and jumped at the sudden appearance. He looked at the little robot's pleading expression and decided to not raise his voice. He was in a good mood today.

"Maybe another time." he gently moved the pig down closer to Gir. "You go watch the Earth news program and learn of current events. I'll return this afternoon" and with that, he walked out the door.

Gir sat down on the couch with his pig friend and looked at the television to do what his master instructed.

_ "A new flaw in the government's security was discovered the other day. Officials believe this could lead to the downfall of the economy and society as we know it if it fell into the wrong hands-."_

"Boring!" sang Gir as he changed the channel to cartoons.

–

It was after lunch in Ms. Bitters' class. The students had sat down in their assigned seats and prepared for their History. "Today we're going to learn about Henry the 8th." The vulture-like old woman began. "He was most known for having 6 wives throughout his time as king of England. Some of them he divorced, others he CHOPPED OFF THEIR HEADS!" She went on to depict gruesome images of the women's executions. Most of the students took it in with horror and were becoming frightened, wide-eyes and cringing in their seats. "And if the executioner was off by a bit, he would chop RIGHT INTO THEIR SKULLS. Their brains would seep out onto the floor in a horrible mess." A student in back hurled into a brown paper bag. "...And sometimes the blade wasn't sharp enough to cut through in one swing. So he would have to CHOP CHOP CHOP away at the victim as they lay tied and helpless, screaming in agony! Blood everywhere!" Ms. Bitters was then interrupted by a sudden clap of thunder. The students screamed by the sudden noise.

"What's this?" Zim felt a wave of horror move across him. Wide-eyed, he gazed at the droplets accumulating on the window across the room, past Dib, who was looking at Zim with curiosity. "No, it can't be! The weather-human did not say anything about rain." In typical dramatic fashion, Zim raised his fists to the air from his desk. "Curse you, meaty-forecast-slave! Why would you lie to Zim?" He noticed the class staring at his behavior.

"Pshh. The weatherman's wrong all the time" said the purple-haired Zita from behind Zim, "It's nothing new." At that point, Zim slunk into his chair, eyes narrowed, angry at this turn of events.

Ms. Bitters tapped a ruler on her desk to get the attention of her class back. "If you don't mind, we will continue with our horrible lesson. Some of us would like to get paid!" While the change in weather was an inconvenience to the students, it was no cause for a scene. It was no big deal at all to anyone. Except for Zim, who had left his home unprepared. He would usually cover himself in paste to become water-resistant for rainy days. He normally would not bother for clear skies.

Still keeping his attention to the wet window, Zim thought to himself, trying to come up with a strategy of avoiding a long and painful journey home. All while leaving Dib unsuspecting of his weakness. Zim knew well that he couldn't let him find out, lest Dib exploit it to its full-extent. Dib, meanwhile, had already realized Zim's plight and delighted in it. A wide grin came across his face. He turned to his own thoughts, planning how he could torture the alien today once skool was out. He could not wait. He was so giddy that he snickered to himself. A paperclip hit his head.

"Dib! What did I tell you about smiling? Now pay attention!" Ms. Bitters continued "... and so the moral of this story is to NEVER GET MARRIED!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello, again. I hope you enjoyed the last chapter. Feel free to review and let me know what you think.**

–

The rain had picked up into a full-on downpour. Zim could hear it pummeling the roof with an ominous hiss. As if he could feel the sting, he cringed as he walked down the hallway with the other students going to exit the building. He needed to find a way to wait out the rain. It didn't look like it was going to stop any time soon. Zim was soon met with the devious glare of Dib, who was waiting for him at the front door. "Nice weather we're having, eh, Zim?"

"Of course." Zim lied "Enjoyable conditions for walking home, as I am _not_ affected by your Earth rain." He casually started walking past Dib with his head high, feigning confidence.

"Oh, that's right, how could I forget?" Dib played along, still smiling. "Then I guess you won't mind going... first!" Dib suddenly shoved Zim off onto the next step and into the pouring rain. Almost instantly, the rain's acid-like effect began to burn his skin. He stood there screaming and flailing his arms while Dib pointed and said triumphantly "A-HA! I knew it!"

Zim ran back up into the dry area of the entrance, gasping and hunched over his knees. "FOOLISH human. Have you forgotten what happened the last time to tried to toy with Zim with your watery FOOLISHNESS?"

"Oh I don't have to do anything this time, Zim. Nature will take care of that for me" Dib said proudly. The last of the students filed out of the building, including Gaz, who looked at her brother and looked at a steaming Zim next to him. "Gaz!" Dib said joyously, "He's affected by rain again. Isn't that great?" She glared at Zim, who glared at her as well. Then she glared at Dib, who had a wide smile waiting for her answer.

"...Your face is stupid." The smile left him at that.

"Oh well" he said "Have fun finding a way home, Zim" he said maliciously as he and Gaz took out their umbrellas and started descending the stairs.

Zim raised his fist at the two, "There is no need for 'fun', Dib-head. Your drippy clouds of pain will not make a fool of Zim today! I will wait right here safe and dry until the rain stops." Suddenly there were two thick legs clad in navy blue stepped behind the tiny Irken.

"No you won't, little man" the deep booming voice of a large skool security man said. Zim turned around and felt himself shrink under the giant's might. "No loitering at the Skool!" and with that, the man kicked Zim off out the stairway like a football and into the middle of the soaked skoolyard full of scattered children. Dib, who was only halfway down the walkway to the street, heard the screams of the football. His eyes followed his decent onto the ground. He looked on in delight and laughed as Zim jumped up and screamed again, frantically running around searching for shelter. Some of the children around the yard pointed and laughed mercilessly with Dib, until Zim came across a thick tree.

"Stupid humans. Stupid Dib. Stupid Earth with its stupid burny sky water. This is all that retched Weather-demon's fault. He will pay. Oh, he will- eh?" Zim was caught off-guard with his mumbling when he looked up. He didn't even notice the person standing in front of him until just then. A smiling child around his size with short light hair stood before him, with a big baby-blue umbrella extended out with her hand, inviting him under it.

Dib and Gaz stopped and watched out of curiosity once they noticed. "What does she think she's doing?" Dib asked, baffled.

"Well, this ought to be rich" Gaz commented snidely, cocking an eyebrow.

Zim was unsure of the situation. Was this a trick? His eyes darted behind the girl. The other children with their umbrellas had stopped giving him their attention and continued their own commute to home. His eyes darted again to find Dib and his sister standing in the rain watching what he would do. His focus returned to the girl in front of him, who said nothing but continued to smile and hold the umbrella in front of her for him, as if she were offering a timid animal food. His hand slowly and cautiously lifted from his side and drew near the handle. He grasped it, holding it for a moment. The girl's eyes became a bit brighter. She had succeeded in drawing him out. She enjoying doing a kindness for someone.

Then, without warning, Zim's grip pulled the umbrella in the girl's hand. With a gasp, she was pulled forward with it for a moment until he shoved her away and ran off with her umbrella. She had landed in a puddle that had formed on the walkway and was now getting drenched by the downpour. She only sat and looked disappointed as she watched the thief turn the corner with her only means of staying dry. Dib looked on with a displeased expression and said softly to himself "Zim, you jerk." He walked over to the girl in the puddle, with Gaz following slightly annoyed that they weren't going home right away. "Are you okay?" he asked, hoovering over her to block the rain.

She looked up at him realizing she must look silly. She stood up and rung her shirt "Y-yeah. Yeah I'm fine." She chuckled awkwardly, obviously embarrassed.

Gaz commented in "That's what you get for being nice to _idiots_."

"I... guess so" she said, disappointed.

"Come walk with us. You can share my umbrella" Dib said. Gaz sighed and rolled her eyes as she started walking away.

"Um..." the girl thought, timidly. She was doing the same thing to someone else before, so it was probably rude to turn down the offer. "Okay. Thank you." They began following Gaz.

"So... what's your name?" he said, trying to make conversation. She looked at him almost surprised but then turned her eyes away shyly.

"Um... it's... Ren" she replied as if embarrassed by her name.

"I'm Dib"


	3. Chapter 3

Zim ran up the streets along fences and under trees, avoiding the puddles and tiny rivers flowing downhill. The umbrella he stole could only protect him from so much. He just wanted to get inside. He finally approached his front yard and was greeted by a doggy-suited Gir who was dressed in a tiny yellow raincoat, splashing in the muddy water. "Hello, dear. How was your day at the office?" Gir said, probably repeating something he heard from television.

"Awful!" Zim spat, opening the door to his base with Gir following close behind.

"Awww, well you sit down and tell Mama all about it" Gir slipped off his doggy suit once inside. Zim threw the still-open umbrella in the corner and hopped on the couch and pouted to himself.

"It was that horrible Dib-human again! He knows I'm not entirely insusceptible to this Earth's rain water"

"Uh-huh" said Gir who climbed up on the back of the couch and sat above Zim.

"He thought he had me today. He thought he could leave me stranded at the mercy of nature. There he was _laughing_ at my predicament. Him and those awful children. There was little place to hide. No way of escape." His tone became proud and accomplished. "But then I used my superior wits and cunning and snatched up the human anti-rain device you see in the corner there. Yes, you should have seen the face of the idiot girl-child I thwarted. The face of the Dib boy when I did it. Oh he never expected me to... GIR! What are you doing to my head?" Pink foamy suds trickled down from the Irken's wig disguise.

"I'm making you pretty!" Gir said happily continuing to work the shampoo. Zim, of course, was not amused by this and got up and flung Gir off his head. "Whee!" squealed Gir as he crashed into something. Zim fiercely slapped the bubbles out of his hair. He growled and walked to the window watching the rain die down and the sky open to a reddish hue. Gir rolly-pollied his way to the television and turned it on. It was the weather again. Sonny Skye read his prompter in his usually overly-cheery tone. It was grating to Zim.

He turned quickly to face the television "You..." he growled in a low and venomous voice. Marching over to it and pushing aside Gir, he pressed his head against it as if he were facing the man himself. "You lied to me." Gir scooted a bit further away in fear. "Mark my words, pig-faced weather-monster; I shall have my vengeance. NO ONE MAKES A FOOL OF ZIM!" He turned to face his robot companion, "GIR! To the control room! We have some scheming to do..."

"Does scheming hurt?"

"Only our enemies, Gir. Only our enemies."

–

_-Minutes earlier, still in the storm-_

Dib, Gaz, and Ren continued to travel down the drenched streets. Dib was eagerly telling stories of his paranormal encounters and of Zim. Ren just humored him with an occasional chuckle and an "oh, really?" Gaz could sense her uncomfortableness and couldn't wait to give him a hard time about his awkward social choices. They went to turn a corner when Ren became hesitant.

"Oh. My house is down that way" she pointed at the other end of the street. "Um, thank you for helping me" she started to walk out from under the umbrella's shelter and into the shower, only to have the umbrella follow her out a bit.

"Hey, wait a second." Dib said, grabbing her sleeve lightly to get her attention. This made her gasp a little and turn her head back. "Why don't you come over to our house and wait out the rain? It's actually just a couple of houses down now." Dib didn't want her to leave so soon. She seemed like she believed what he was saying and was interested. If that was the case, he had a lot to show her.

"Your... your house? Um..." she was very unsure of herself and shifted around uncomfortably. She wasn't expecting that at all.

"We have cookies" he said, trying to entice her.

"Uh..." she laughed nervously "No, it's alright. I'll be fine. The rain looks like it's letting up soon anyway." Dib looked at her with his smile gone. He really thought she'd prefer to stay in a dry place instead of getting all wet again. "Thanks again for walking me all this way. I... appreciate it" she wore a shy little smile, looking down. She then ran from him down the street, leaving a disappointed Dib the sole occupier of the umbrella again.

He caught up with his sister, who was turning into their walkway. She looked behind her, knowing full well she wouldn't see his new acquaintance. "I take it she didn't want to visit a stranger's house?" she teased.

"Hey, I'm not a stranger! We were getting along great. I... just thought she'd want to hang out a little." He admitted. Gaz opened the door and they went in with folded umbrellas.

"You don't invite people you just met into your house, Dib. You're so awkward. She probably thought you were a weirdo with all you Bigfoot talk"

"I am not weird. Well, not _that_ weird. She totally believes me, though. You saw her, She was really into what I was saying" Dib said, almost trying to validate himself. He continued to talk to her while they walked to her bedroom door.

"She was probably just being polite, you idiot"

"Why is it so hard for you to believe that I could actually make friends?" he demanded to know.

Gaz stopped when she entered her room, turned around and said "Because your head is stupid!" she slammed the door in his face.

Dib mumbled to himself as he went to his own room, " She's wrong. I can make friends. I... just haven't found any good ones. But that's not my fault." He closed his door and pulled out his desk chair to sit. "Who wants to be friends with people who don't like the same things you do anyway?" He concluded, turning on a monitor. He got out a pad of paper and a pen and watched the video feed closely. It was from a camera set up at Zim's with nothing going on. A few moments went by and still no sign of anyone home. Little did Dib know, Zim and Gir were in the sub-levels of the base, scheming, at this time. The minutes turned to hours and still no movement. Dib had grown bored staring at the same camera shots. He thought about the day's events. His teasing of the green-skinned boy, his walk home with Ren, and what his sister had told him when they got home. Then he thought of what he was currently doing. He suddenly felt a little embarrassed of himself, but quickly dismissed it. He reassured himself that his sister was just being herself again. She always teased him. There wasn't anything wrong with him. There wasn't anything wrong with his hobbies. There wasn't anything wrong with him talking about what he's seen with that girl.

Was there?

"I'm _not_ weird."


	4. Chapter 4

That night was oddly chilly. The moon brightened the indigo sky and was reflected in the puddles that remained on the streets. Two small figures crept along the side of the local news station's studio building, moving from one shadow to the next. Most everyone had gone home for the day. The few that remained were a janitor, a handful of security, and Sonny Skye, who was just then stepping out of the back exit to his car. He gathered his keys from a case and sifted through them. Eyes peered from the shadows by the door. Skye paused as he was about to insert a key into his car door. "Ah!" he gasped "Forgot the schedule again!" He turned around and marched to the exit in a huff, sticking a key into that door instead. He rushed in and the door slowly closed behind him.

The lights were dim in the hallways. He walked past a desk where a plump, mustached security officer was reading a newspaper. The officer only lowered it long enough to see the weather reporter speed-walk by, headed to the main offices and newsroom. After he recognized the man, he simply went back to his reading, unaware of the red-eyed creature that had been lurking behind his fat self.

The weatherman spent a few minutes navigating the maze of employee offices when he came to his own. He rummaged through the papers on his messy desk that had yet to be filed. Reports and charts and notices. He came across a small book. His schedule. Relieved, he opened his bag and placed it inside and returned to hallways. The offices were eerie at this late hour. Far different from the normally busy atmosphere provided by a working studio crew. He was exhausted from working overtime. He just wanted to be out of there. He picked up his pace a bit and returned to the area where cameras and monitors were kept. Wires and lights hung from the ceiling and windows were covered with curtains, but the moonlight could still be seen through them.

Suddenly the lights flickered. A flash. Then, darkness.

Skye stopped in his tracks with a frightened gasp. "Great. Now what?" He began to feel around. He felt very uneasy. Moonlight provided shadows in the room that were unsettling. But he was a grown man and far beyond thoughts of a boogeyman hiding in the night. It was only equipment making those figures. He never thought the equipment could make such a frightening spider, though. Tiny footsteps ran across the floor. A sudden loud _clank_ made the unnerved man jump out of his skin. His head jerked around to see where the noise was coming from. It was a clipboard that had fallen onto the tile floor. Whatever could have made that happen? He turned his head back and noticed the giant spider shadow on the wall was gone. "Ahh!" He dropped his bag. Eye's darting, heart racing, he heard the scurrying in the darkness again. Like tiny children's feet. A mischievous giggle could be heard. The shadows were laughing at him now! Desperate for an answer, he hugged the wall and made his way to a window to provide more light in the room. As his hand stretched outward, inches from the curtain, something fell from the ceiling a few feet in front of him. He froze. He slowly glanced his head to the floor. A broken coffee mug. His personal coffee mug. His head slowly rose up, his breathing shaky, mouth trembling, up to the ceiling where the object had come from.

From out of the darkness, there opened two great glowing red eyes and a grin slowly forming under them, similar to a Cheshire cat. The man opened his mouth to scream, but nothing came out. He clumsily grabbed the curtain and flung it open, letting in light. The face had disappeared with the darkness. His breathing began to stabilize as he started to calm down. "Oh, man. I really need some sleep. I must be losing my mind." He laughed to himself through his heavy breathing.

"Losing your mind will be the least of your worries tonight, human" a voice echoed in the studio. The scream escaped Skye's mouth.

"Who... who's there? How did you get in here? S- security! SECURITY!"

The voice laughed loudly and wickedly, which made the man whimper and cringe. "I don't think your guard will be able to help you. You'll find that he's a bit... _tied up_... at the moment."

There came another voice. A smaller, robotic voice. "I helped!"

"Indeed you did, Gir"

"I found doughnuts!" the robot said happily, who could be heard viciously eating the pastries.

The pitiful weather man was shaking where he stood. His heart pounding. "Wh- what do you want with me? What did I do?" he asked. There came a splash. A cold and wet sensation fell on him from the ceiling. It made him yelp and scream. He realized what it was after a moment. "...Water?"

"It doesn't FEEL good. Does it, human?" He could feel the shadow move around him as a chilling breeze swept around the room. The voice was to his left, where it was darkest. "You deceived me, big-haired swine. You made such a fool out of me today and it will not soon be forgotten."

"I don't even know you" He backed away from his position. "What are you talking about?"

"Fool!" the voice boomed "I'm talking about your climate conditions today. You told Zim it would be fine for him to go outside unprotected. Then you turned around and made the sky pour filthy rainwater on me!" Long, slender metallic legs shot forth out of the darkness and pinned Sonny Skye to the ground. "You will NEVER AGAIN pull such a stunt, do you hear me, rain man?" growled Zim.

"Hey! Hey! I- I don't _make_ the weather happen! It's not my fault! I swear! The machines! The machines! We were wrong today, it just happens! Oh, god! I'm just a meteorologist, I don't make it rain! I-"

"Enough talk of meat, human filth! What is this about a machine?" He asked retracting the metal spider legs. "These machines are responsible for the conditions?"

The man realizing he's dealing with a rather insane man or some kind of monster crawled to his knees and began to attempt escape. Stumbling to his feet he began to run across the room breaking for the exit hallways. He stopped short in horror when he was met with two glowing blue orbs in the darkness. A creature eating something. It blocked his path. He was trapped in that room. He fell back and backed away with his hands and feet, whimpering, keeping his eyes wide and locked onto the frightening image before him. He backed into the middle of the room and into the moonlight on the floor. At this point it was noticeable that he had wet himself. It made the voice laugh once more. "What's the matter, human? Do we frighten you? You're pathetic."

"Come on! Just let me go!" the man pleaded with the shadows, tears forming in his eyes.

"Tell me where I can access these weather-controlling machines and I might consider it" the shadows demanded.

"There- there are no... What? No! The machines just tell us where things are going and- and the low pressure areas... balloons... th- the wind speed... and... it- it's a very complex thing! The machines just help us predict it! We- we can't _control_ the weather!" he began to laugh. Clearly, the situation had made him lose his grip.

This new information made Zim ponder a bit. "hmmm..." he thought. "No, I suppose you can't... but perhaps _I_ can!" he said deviously to himself.

"So... so does this mean you'll let me go?" Skye asked hopefully in a final attempt for freedom.

"Oh, I don't think so, human" Zim replied wickedly. He slowly crawled out of the shadows on monstrous robotic spider legs and into the light. A cruel grin on his face and flashing red eyes, he held up foreign instruments in which he intended to use. A small blue-eyed robot wearing a newspaper hat and crumbs on his face crept out beside him. "I've still got plans for you." The robot giggled insanely at his master's statement.

"What... what _are_ you?" the victim managed to blurt out.

"_Your worst nightmare._"

And then he was upon him. A scream filled the air of that night. That oddly chilly night.


	5. Chapter 5

** Ooh. That last chapter was so fun to write. I got chills just by making it. I hope it wasn't too creepy for you younger viewers. I guess Zim can be rather frightening when he means business. Sorry for the delay in updates, but this next chapter is kind of long. I hope you enjoy it. **

The sun broke through the clouds of the next morning. The rays shined through the neighborhood and into a sleeping Dib's bedroom. The direct light on his eyes made him toss and cover his head with his blanket. Trying to fall back into a deep sleep, he was rudely interrupted by his alarm. A hand reached from under the covers with a groan as he batted at the sound until he finally hit a switch. He slid himself back to sit up in his bed with a wide yawn and a stretch. He dawned his big round frames. The groggy boy walked over to his monitor and clicked it on, as he always did first thing in the morning. Strange. He would usually at least see Gir running around the living room, but today, everything was still. Just as it had been the night before. He decided he was going to have the same luck at his previous snooping and turned the screen off. He slowly got dressed and headed out to the kitchen for breakfast, where his sister and father were already sitting.

Gaz was multitasking between crunches of her toast jam and mashing away at her Gameslave hand-held. Their father was drinking coffee and watching a television that hung from the ceiling which flashed news reports and update tickers across the bottom of the screen. He noticed Dib sleepily walk in and pull up a chair. "Good morning, son!" the scientist greeted him heartily.

"Morning, dad" he said listlessly.

"Ready for another fun-filled day of _learning_?" his enthusiasm still did not rub off on his boy.

"I guess so" he yawned.

The man held his chin with curious fingers pondering "Son?" he began to lecture "Have you been staying up late again? Probably on your internet talking in your boogeyman chat rooms, no doubt."

Gaz sorted before Dib had a chance to explain himself, "No, that would be _normal!_" she grinned at her own cheeky remark as her brother shot her a dirty look.

"Now, son..." he began again with animated movements "you know getting a good night's sleep is important for recharging your body and keeping a sharp mind!" Dib had heard this all before. "I don't want to have to reinforce a bed time for you again. You're a big boy now and you need to learn self-discipline! Understand?"

"Yes, sir" Dib sighed, still not fully awake.

"Very good. Now, eat some breakfast and watch the news with your father. There's going to be an interesting report on how the European chickens have become self-aware!" The Membrane father said. Dib viewed the screen as he got himself some Breakfast Chunks cereal. The video introduction for the weather report played, but instead of finishing with its usual shot of the map and weatherman present, it returned to the main anchor desk.

The anchorwoman in the shot was handed a notice from off-screen, briefly skimmed through it, and looked up at the camera again with a smile._ "Due to very recent unfortunate circumstances, weatherman Sonny Skye will be taking an extended mental holiday. We hope to see him back real soon. Until then, forecast reports will be done by our resident intern, Juna!"_

The camera then switched to the familiar map. Standing in front of it, with a paper in hand, was a tall woman with short red hair, blue eyes and a dark mark in the middle of her forehead. Dressed in a dark blue blazer and skirt, she did not wear a smile and spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. _"Today will actually be sunny to partly cloudy, this time. That rainstorm yesterday snuck up on us from the north-west and Channel 5 apologizes for not reporting it sooner. What are you gonna do? It's just crazy like that."_ she shrugged and held the paper of charts and pictures up to the camera, seemingly unaware of the map behind her. _"Says here that the rain's going to come back in a few days, though, and it should continue on through the weekend. At least you can expect it this time around." _The intern finished her report and the Channel 5 news program continued.

A clock on the screen then flashed in giant green numbers. Eight o'clock. Time for everyone to start their day. "Ah! Time for work. And time for school for you two!" The professor exclaimed as the television lifted up into the ceiling panels of the kitchen. Backpacks were then lowered from mechanical arms and placed on the children. Seeing that everything was in order, Professor Membrane then stood tall and said, "Take care, son and daughter! I'm off to make some SCIENCE!" Smoke seeped out of the bottom of his boots. The ceiling opened a hole above the man's head and he rocketed out of the kitchen. Dib watched his father leave with a trail of smoke behind him. The typical morning routine.

The siblings headed off down the street. Gaz playing with her game, not saying a word, and Dib wondering what the day would bring. He wondered if Zim was still sore about yesterday. Dib didn't even do much, but he knew it didn't take much to set Zim off. He was actually looking forward to what Zim was planning for him. A new challenge. A new game almost every day. Being the defender of Earth was a tough job, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. In fact, just getting to mess with Zim everyday made school worth going to.

Dib arrived in class, took his seat at the far end of the room by the window and waited for the other students to join him in homeroom. Zim had not shown up yet. He had been late before so Dib would be patient. Ms. Bitters took attendance and started the day's lessons. 20 minutes of Bitters' anxiety-inducing lectures and still no sign of Zim. Dib could only watch the door as he became more on-edge. If Zim wasn't in class, it could only mean one thing; he was up to no good. _Just what are you up to, Zim?_ He thought to himself. _I'll have to look into this after school. Maybe he's got something planned for me when I get out. I'll have to be on my guard._ He took attention to his notebook, where he doodled out brainstorms of what his nemesis could possibly be doing at that moment. In the corner, he drew Zim extracting the brain of someone through a suction device on their head. In a margin, he drew Zim building a giant ray gun, Zim and Gir in space attacking a satellite dish. He then drew himself punching Zim in a heroic display. Then himself standing over the fallen Irken victoriously. He chuckled to himself. He tapped his pen on his chin for a moment while he thought. Then he scribbled out a drawing of Zim and Gir sitting on the couch just watching TV. _Maybe he's not doing anything at all. _A disappointed sigh left Dib's nose as he rested his hand on his face and continued to doodle.

The bell for lunch break came. He put away his books in his desk and headed for the cafeteria. Gaz was already seated at a table near a window and Dib sat down across from her by the window with his lunch to join her. She was sipping on her milk carton through a straw with an especially aggravated look on her face. She wasn't playing her game today, which was odd for her. "Got tired of playing?" he asked.

"I got caught playing it under my desk today and the teacher TOOK IT AWAY!" She said as she gripped her milk so hard, the carton popped. "He will PAY!"

"You... know you're not supposed to be playing that thing during class, right?" Dib said, trying to choose his words carefully.

"OF COURSE I KNOW THAT!" She exploded, "But I just found a super-rare monster this morning that drops the item I need to complete this quest I'm on and I WAS NOWHERE NEAR the save point, so I was stuck and I didn't want the battery to run out before I could save and then HE comes along and is all 'no toys during class. You can have it after' and he SHUTS IT OFF ON ME!" She punched the wall in frustration, causing a dent.

Dib, while scared for his life at this moment, decided it would be best to try and cheer his sister up. "It's alright, Gaz. You're so good at the game, you'll probably find another one in no time" She only growled like a vicious animal. Dib gulped and said "Would... would you feel better if you had my chocolate pudding?" He handed out his pudding cup for her.

"No!" she said as she snatched it up and began eating it. She seemed to calm down a bit. He sighed in relief and casually glanced out the window.

It was a nice day out. There were only a few clouds in the bright red sky that day. He watched two squirrels chase each other around a tree in the back of the school. They both stopped together suddenly and took off together. Something had scared them away. His eyes then turned to a person walking out to the tree. "Hey..." Dib said to himself. "Is that...?" He lifted his head and concentrated. "Hey, Gaz, it's that girl from yesterday."

"So?" she said sharply.

"What is she doing outside and not in here?"

"How should I know?" She hissed. Dib stood from the bench and took off, heading out to the cafeteria double doors. "Hey! Where do you think you're going?" his sister called out. She growled to herself and continued to spoon in the pudding snack when she got no answer. She watched out the window to the tree Dib was looking at. She turned her attention to the outside doors and saw Dib coming out of them, walking over to the tree. She gave an annoyed glare and mumbled "You're such a butt-monkey."

The light-haired girl from yesterday was sitting under the tree, reading something. She hadn't noticed Dib walking toward her. She jumped a bit and looked up when he said "Hi, again." She hid her reading material close to her as if she would have gotten in trouble. "Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to scare you. It's... Ren, right? It's me, Dib." She was so amazed that he found her, she didn't know what to say. Her eyes only darted nervously to her sides. Dib scratched the back of his head in the midst of the awkwardness, "So... how come you're out here instead of eating in the cafeteria with everyone else?"

"Well... I don't normally go to lunch. I thought it would be better... if I just stayed out here." she explained. Dib looked at her confused, he had no idea why it would be better to just skip lunch. Maybe she just had no one to sit with. She did seem a bit shy.

"Well, I know the food's not that great, but it's something. Aren't you hungry?

"...A little." she confessed hesitantly.

"Then come on, before you miss your chance" he said with a smile and extended his hand, to which she cringed a bit. "... you can sit with me and my sister." She looked at his hand like it was some kind of shark. She bit her bottom lip, considering it. She slowly took his hand as he helped her up. He smiled. "Come on" he yanked her forward as he ran for the school. She ran clumsily with him as she was dragged across the yard.

They entered the cafeteria, got her a sandwich, and headed to Gaz's table. She wasn't very amused at what Dib had done. Ren sat across from Gaz nervously. She felt like she was imposing, and Gaz felt the same way. Dib sat next to the girl with a stupid smile on his face. He got out with notebook from earlier. "You know," he began "Zim sits at a table by himself over there." He pointed to a table that was occupied by children. "Well, he's not here today. But if he was, he'd be picking at his food, studying it." Dib said imitating what Zim would do. "The lunch meat burns his skin, you know" he said proudly. Ren only gave the strange boy a baffled look. Gaz rolled her eyes, embarrassed for him.

"So, is he your friend?" Ren asked.

"Friend?" he exclaimed "Zim is my mortal nemesis! He's an alien invader sent to destroy Earth and I'm the only one who can stop him!" Dib opened his notebook to the doodles he did earlier and enthusiastically explained to her what kind of things he though Zim would be up to. At first she thought he was just plain crazy, but then she thought maybe this was just a game the two of them play. She reluctantly humored him more until lunch was over. Dib took his tray and grabbed hers. "I'm going to bring these up. Stay here and look through my notes and tell me what you think after, okay?" and before she could protest, he was off. She sighed defeated. Gaz eyed her from across the table, to which Ren gave a small wave of her fingers and laughed nervously.

"Look" Gaz said suddenly, making Ren jump. "I don't know what your deal is, but you need to stop being so dishonest with my brother." Ren looked away sheepishly. "If you don't want to be friends with him, then don't. But if you do, then you need to try harder." She looked up at Gaz, a bit shocked, as if it never occurred to her. She felt a bit ashamed of herself for being so inconsiderate. "You know..." Gaz looked around a bit, "Dib might act a little weird, _really_ weird, and he says stupid things all the time, and he's got that annoying voice... but..." she hesitated "he's..." she struggled to continue. Looking down at her tray, she spotted her brother's empty pudding cup. She then managed to choke out softly, "He's... not... _entirely_ bad."


End file.
